Sat-Mon

Tuesday morning July 15 - by Dave

It has been a busy few days. Saturday was a fun day at Tumaini. I started my day with a 10K run through the Kenya countryside. Running with the Kenyans was quite the experience but there was no way I could keep up with the young ones. Luckily coach Titus took pity on me and stayed back.

The secondary school students go to school for half the day but everyone else had the day off, sort of. If you call washing your clothes in a five gallon bucket a day of rest. I tried it and it is not the easiest way to wash. Water does not seem to be a problem but when you have that many children filling five gallon buckets the water pressure goes way down. We had lots of time to interact with the children. Many members of the team went to Nyeri town but since I had the chance on last Tuesday I stayed behind. The afternoon was filled with volleyball, frisbee, table tennis, and football. Will even taught a few a little all American baseball. Dinner Saturday night was a goodbye banquet. We are certainly not in want of food. I think most will come home a little heavier than we left.

On Sunday morning the parish had an all congregation (8 churches) worship service for the ordination of elders. The service was to go from 10:30 until it finished. We had to leave in the middle of the service to get a quick lunch and head on our way. Many of the children skipped out early too for a tearful goodbye. A piece of each of our hearts is staying behind.

We jumped in our vehicles and headed north to Nanuki for some rest and recovery time. Crossed the equator and jumped back into summer. Of course we are at over 6000 feet in elevation so summer was anything but hot. We arrived at Sweetwaters in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and had not been inside for more than a few minutes when we came upon some giraffes right beside the road. It was breathtaking. After checking into our room we went out on a game drive. We saw rhinos, gazelle, impalas, warthogs, giraffes, zebras and plenty of amazing birds. A treat was petting Morani the black rhino. They like to be scratched behind the ears. When you see these animals you know God has quite a sense of humor.

Monday we awoke to a beautiful sunrise. We stayed in tents but did not rough it at all. These tents had ceramic tile, flush toilets and a wonderful shower. Mount Kenya was completely visible. Most of the time she hides behind the clouds. After a hearty breakfast we went game driving again. A day where the adjectives just run out. After lunch we went to a spinners and weavers mission that helps 107 women. They spin, weave and knit beautiful wool treasures. I was fascinated by the natural ways they dye the wool. Then we headed back to Nairobi and after a long and sometimes very bumpy ride we arrived at Peter and Ester Kariuki's home for more food. Peter is our travel agent and they were most gracious hosts. Today we will spend time with the Beacon of Hope ministry here in Nairobi.

Everyone is well. At this point I know everyone is missing home. This has truly been a life changing experience.

Love, peace and joy, Dave